Doubt & Trust
by shadowalchemist198
Summary: AU. One of the Seigaku regulars is brutally beaten, and the others are intent on finding the one responsible. What they find will surprise them all...
1. The Message

Disclaimer: I don't own Prince of Tennis, so don't sue me

Disclaimer: I don't own Prince of Tennis, so don't sue me!

Warnings (for this chapter): Lemon, language, yaoi

Pairings (for this chapter): Momo + Ryoma, Oishi x Eiji

Author's notes: This is my first fanfic outside of Gundam Wing, so be kind with reviews. I'm also doing a marathon dash through PoT as well as this story being AU, so characters may be OOC! Also, this chapter is mostly lemons.

Chapter 1

The Message

_Momoshiro walked into the other hotel room. He found it amusing to sneak into Ryoma's hotel room at night and just watch the young tennis player sleep. Closing the connecting door behind him, Momoshiro slid towards the door leading into the bedroom part of the suite. He carefully opened the door…_

--

"I can't believe our little baby's gone away for the summer," Eiji complained as he and Oishi walked down the residential street towards Oishi's house. The redhead snapped at his ice cream like it had just insulted him or his lover. Oishi laughed at the smaller teen's antics. Eiji pouted childishly. "I wanted to tease him this summer… Oh well, I'll just have to wait until he comes back…"

The two former Seigaku regulars reached Oishi's house. The brunette's parents and sister were gone on vacation for the next week, so the two lovers had the entire house to themselves. They eagerly took advantage of the situation.

Oishi gasped as Eiji slammed himself against the wall, lips on his own. Their backpacks were thrown into the living room. The former vice-captain always projected a calm exterior, but here in their own personal Eden, Oishi was as hot-blooded as any other teen. Eiji's seemingly endless energy easily met Oishi's stamina.

Eiji tore at Oishi's shirt. Oishi returned the favor, and they were both half-naked in seconds. Oishi distantly noted that they wouldn't make it to any of the bedrooms so he lifted and carried Eiji to the living room. He laid the redhead on the couch and ravished the slender chest below him. Eiji moaned desperately, and the sound turned Oishi on tremendously.

Soon their pants joined their torn shirts on the floor, leaving the pair bare to each other. Oishi kissed Eiji's moans away as he played with hardened nipples. The silence lasted only until Oishi let off to take a breath. Oishi moved one hand to gently wrap around Eiji's hard penis. Eiji's eyes slid open, and Oishi was not surprised to find them already glazed over with pleasure. He leaned down near his responsive lover.

"Are you ready?" he whispered into Eiji's ear. The clouded blue eyes stared at the ceiling for a few seconds before sliding down to gaze at Oishi. "I want to hear you say it." Eiji squirmed uncomfortably, but Oishi knew the energetic young man loved to be dominated like this. "Say it," Oishi ordered.

Eiji licked his lips nervously, and his chest rose and fell in desperate little gasps. "Please, Oishi," he pleaded softly. "Please Fuck Me…" He rubbed his hips against Oishi's to prove his point.

The older teen smiled at his love. He didn't mind the foul language coming from Eiji's mouth; it was another of the redhead's strange sexual behaviors. For doing what he had asked, Oishi patted Eiji's red hair and slowly eased a finger into the teen's body.

Even though they have been sexual for over two years, Eiji was still as tight as a virgin around Oishi's finger. Oishi slid the lone finger in and out of Eiji's body. The redhead moaned and squirmed some more. "Please Oishi Don't tease me"

Oishi added another finger to please the writhing redhead and began stretching the anal muscles. Eiji began to keen helplessly as Oishi reached down to grab the lube from Eiji's backpack. The sound tore at Oishi's heart, but he remained steadfast. He would not harm Eiji in any way, especially not while having sex. A third, then a fourth finger were added before Oishi convinced himself that Eiji was more than ready. He pulled his fingers out, ignoring Eiji's whimpered pleas, and quickly applied lube to his cock. "I'm going to fuck you now, Kikumaru Eiji," he growled. "Fast and hard. Just the way you like it." He began pushing the head of his cock through the tight ring of muscle protecting the paradise that existed in Eiji's body. Eiji pressed back, forcing Oishi completely into his body.

The two stilled for their bodies to adjust to the sensations. Eiji clamped his muscles down around Oishi's penis to signal he was ready. Oishi kissed Eiji gently before pulling almost completely out (earning himself a keening wail) and slamming back home. Eiji cried out in both pleasure and pain but eagerly tried to get Oishi to touch-

The small redhead howled and wrapped his long legs around Oishi's waist as Oishi's cock hit his prostate. Oishi quickly kissed him to keep him quiet. The older of the pair aimed expertly for that spot, making Eiji turn to jelly under him.

Contrary to what he told Eiji, Oishi made slow, passionate, gentle love to his former doubles partner. Eiji quickly broke down into sobs; his constantly moving body was not made for the slower crawl that Oishi enforced.

Finally Oishi felt Eiji tighten around his cock, and his hand wrapped around Eiji's erection. That was the last straw for the redhead. He screamed as he came violently on his taunt stomach. Oishi was not far behind, filling his small lover with white-hot seed.

Oishi eased Eiji over and quickly fell asleep.

--

When Oishi returned to consciousness, it was to the sensation of someone coating his cock, already erect, with cold lube. His dark green eyes opened to see Eiji kneeling over him. The redhead smiled at him now that he was awake. And then sat down on Oishi's cock.

Oishi gasped. Eiji pushed himself up and down on Oishi's hot erection, and the man trapped under him could not affect the speed at which Eiji took his pleasure. Oishi did however curl his fingers around Eiji's bobbing cock. Eiji moaned and sped up his movements.

Eiji's second ejaculation was just as violent as the first, and Oishi pushed himself as far as he could before coming as well. They both gasped for breath, their bodies sweaty and sticky from the semen.

The small redhead swayed sharply, and Oishi barely caught him before he cracked his head on the coffee table. He lifted Eiji up in a fireman's carry and took him upstairs to Oishi's bedroom. After pulling the covers down, the older teen laid his lover on the bed. Oishi climbed in, and soon they were both asleep again.

--

_Ring…._

Oishi groaned as he woke up. Glancing over at his alarm clock, he frowned when the lights read 2:37 A.M. He climbed out of bed, careful to avoid waking Eiji up. The redhead sighed and curled around a pillow.

_Ring…._

Oishi dashed down the stairs and grabbed the phone before it could ring again. "Moshi moshi…"

"Oishi." Oishi stilled when he heard Inui's voice echo out of the receiver. Something was off though with the manager. Oishi could feel it.

"What's wrong?" he asked softly.

"It's about Echizen…" Inui began.

Oishi shifted impatiently. When Inui didn't continue, the former doubles player growled. "What about Echizen? Why did you call be at two-thirty in the morning?"

"Echizen… Ryoma… Ryoma's in the hospital. He might not survive the night."


	2. Hospital

Disclaimer: I don't own Prince of Tennis, so don't sue me

Disclaimer: I don't own Prince of Tennis, so don't sue me!

Warnings (for this chapter): Mention of NCS, language

Pairings (for this chapter): Oishi + Eiji, Momoshiro + Ryoma

Author's notes: This is my first fanfic outside of Gundam Wing, so be kind with reviews. I'm also doing a marathon dash through PoT as well as this story being AU, so characters may be OOC!

**Just so people know: the story's only going to get worse from here.**

Chapter 2

Hospital

_Ryoma walked calmly into the hotel's elevator with Momoshiro. He was surprised to find Hideki Ryuga already in the elevator. "Heard you beat that Edmundson kid today," Ryuga said nonchalantly. Ryoma nodded. "Good. Prick needed to be knocked down a notch or three." The bell dinged, and the elevator doors opened. Ryuga picked up his bag and began walking out of the tiny box. "Well, I guess I'll see you tomorrow then." He waved at Ryoma and Momoshiro as the doors closed. _

_--_

_Time since discovery: 1 hour 27 minutes (2:39 A.M.)_

"Echizen… Ryoma… Ryoma's in the hospital."

Oishi felt numbness sweep though his body. "What do you mean he's in the hospital? What happened?"

"He was found in his hotel room last night. The police have already notified his father. He… From what I heard, it… was brutal, Oishi. They are saying he was… He was raped, Oishi." The former vice-captain froze. He could hear Inui fighting the urge to break down into tears. "He was raped, Oishi, with his own damn racket! Someone abused him with his own tennis racket!" Inui gasped, and before the connection went dead, Oishi could hear him begin to cry.

Putting the telephone down, Oishi could only stay at it. Echizen… Ryoma was in the hospital. Who could have done it, and why did they have to do _that_ to him? Wasn't nearly killing, could still kill him enough for them?! How was he going Eiji about this? The senior and the freshman were almost best friends!

A soft shuffle made Oishi look up and away from the phone. He was surprised to see Eiji standing in the doorway. The redhead watched him in confusion. "Oishi, what's wrong?" he asked softly.

Oishi felt something crumble inside of him. He turned to Eiji completely and held his arms out. "Come here, Eiji," he ordered gently. Eiji hesitated for a few seconds, but Oishi managed to coax him across the room. Once Eiji was near enough, Oishi wrapped his arms around him and buried his face in the bright red hair.

"What's wrong with you, Oishi?" Eiji asked again.

Oishi took a deep breath. "Echizen… Echizen's in the hospital, Eiji. Someone nearly beat him to death. Inui says he may not survive the night…"

Eiji looked up disbelievingly. "Come on, Oishi. Don't joke about stuff like that. Tell me what's really wrong." Oishi remained silent; Eiji became more distressed. "This isn't funny, Oishi!" Oishi's arms tightened around the slender body. "No, you had to have misheard! Ryoma is just playing a trick! That's all it is!" Oishi buried his face deeper into Eiji's hair. "This can't be right! He's supposed to come back next week!" Eiji began beating his fists on Oishi's chest in desperation. "No! No! No!"

Oishi eased them to the floor. Eiji sobbed helplessly against him. "We'll find the guy who did this, Eiji. We'll find him," Oishi whispered. Eiji shook his head, shoulders still trembling." Oishi rubbed Eiji's back in a futile effort to calm him down. "We have to get going. The others have already left for Kyoto. We'll meet them there." Eiji nodded against his chest. "We'll get him, Eiji."

--

_Time since discovery: 4 hours 3 minutes (5:15 AM)_

When the two doubles players walked into the hospital waiting room, they were not surprised to find the rest of the Seigaku regulars already there with Ryoma's family. Most of Ryoma's friends and family stood around trying to get information from each other, but Momoshiro and Nanjiro just stared off into space.

A chill settled on the group as the doctor strode in, a folder tucked under his arm. The man was meticulously, professionally dressed, and for some reason, anger shot through Oishi. This man didn't look like he cared if Ryoma lived or not! "Family of Echizen Ryoma?"

Everyone moved towards the man, except for Momoshiro. The man took a step back, surprised. Tezuka took the lead. "How is Echizen?" he said calmly.

The doctor stared at the high school student. "Are you his father?"

"No," Nanjiro said. "But I give my permission to discuss Ryoma's condition with these people."

The doctor glared darkly but relented. "Fine." He opened the folder. "The patient" Oishi bristled at the title "was suffering from severe internal bleeding and had several fractured or broken ribs. Both of his arms and legs were broken in at least three places, and the attacker cut the tendons and ligaments in his right elbow. He had a small fracture in his hips and skull, but those will cause no real damage in the long run. We're keeping a close eye on the internal injuries caused by the anal penetration for infection. At least he'll survive."

"Can we see him?" Momoshiro whispered.

The doctor's glare returned. "Yes, but he's in a drug-induced coma until we feel he's stable enough to allow him to wake up. Don't expect him to respond." Everyone nodded, and the man led them down the hall towards Ryoma's room.

Slowly the group entered the sterile room. Eiji covered his mouth at the sight of the broken body lying on the bed. The bandages around thin fingers and face nearly blended in with Ryoma's skin color. A mask covering Ryoma's mouth forces air into bruised lungs, and a heart monitor whined a slow, but steady beat.

Momoshiro pushed his way past the others to stand next to the bed. A look of utter despair flashed through the violet eyes, and a hand snaked out to ghost across Ryoma's cheek. He sat down in the lone chair and did not look like he was going to move.

"Sir, you can't si-!" the doctor started, but Nanjiro cut him off.

"Leave him be," Nanjiro said quietly, but the effect made it seem like he had yelled them. The doctor turned to stare at him. "I'll decide who sits with my son, not you. So leave." The doctor frowned but obeyed the former tennis star. He took one last glance at the group standing in the room before closing the door behind him.

--

_Time since discovery: 4 hours 19 minutes (5:31 AM)_

The others only stayed for ten more minutes before they left Momoshiro alone with the comatose Ryoma. The spiky-haired powerhouse gently picked up one of Ryoma's tiny hands, mindful of the IVs still connected to it. He rubbed his thumb over the darkening bruise around Ryoma's wrists and did not stop the onslaught of memories of the previous night.

--

_Time since discovery: 30 seconds (1:12 AM)_

_Momoshiro froze when he saw the small naked body lying on the blood-soaked bed. He dashed to the bed, avoiding pieces of wood lying on the ground. He couldn't tell if Ryoma was still breathing, but he had to do something! The knots tying the boy's wrists to the headboard were saturated with blood and wouldn't come undone so Momoshiro ran back to his room to grab his pocketknife. He viciously sawed through the tough fabric until the threads snapped under the tension. Already faint bruises were visible on the small wrists. He began to pick the small teen up when Ryoma gasped in pain._

_Momoshiro quickly put Ryoma back down. He'd felt _stuff _move inside of Ryoma, and he didn't want to do anymore damage that had already been done. Easing his arm out from under Ryoma's bloody, limp legs, he brushed up against something hard and sharp. Ryoma whimpered softly. Momoshiro grabbed the end of the object and was horrified to feel the familiar curves of a broken tennis racket. Understanding dawned as Momoshiro realized what the pieces of wood on the floor were. He pulled Ryoma close into a gentle embrace. _

"_I'm going to take it out, Echizen. I know it'll hurt, but it has to be done," he whispered to the unconscious boy, even though he knew that Ryoma couldn't hear him. With that said, he grabbed the broken handle of Ryoma's tennis racket and began to carefully pull it out._

_Once the blood-stained object was removed, Momoshiro threw it across the room. He looked around the scene for a telephone, but he only saw the remains of the one left by the hotel management. He apologized to Ryoma and raced back to his room. Grabbing the receiver, he quickly punched in 1-1-9 and waited impatiently. It seemed to take too long before the call was answered._

"_Emergency services, what is the problem?"_

"_I need an ambulance at the Rihga Royal Hotel right away. We're in room…"_

--

_Time since discovery: 4 hours 21 minutes (5:33 AM)_

Momoshiro's fingers tightened around Ryoma's. The small brunette had to survive, because without Ryoma, Momoshiro couldn't go on.


	3. Consciousness

Disclaimer: I don't own Prince of Tennis, so don't sue me

Disclaimer: I don't own Prince of Tennis, so don't sue me!

Warnings (for this chapter): Mention of NCS, language, violence

Pairings (for this chapter): Oishi + Eiji, Momoshiro + Ryoma, Fuji + Tezuka

Author's notes: This is my first fanfic outside of Gundam Wing, so be kind with reviews. I'm also doing a marathon dash through PoT as well as this story being AU, so characters may be OOC!

Chapter 3  
Consciousness

_Ryoma shifted his weight as he waited for Momoshiro to get dinner. His mind kept wandering back to Kyle Edmundson, the player he had defeated in the semifinals. The older teen had mocked Ryoma's short stature and Momoshiro's hairstyle, and that made Ryoma vow to crush the boy. The way that Kyle had glared at him afterwards though… Ryoma shrugged._

_Thinking back to his teammate, Ryoma felt warmth blossom in his heart. The sensation confused him like it always did, but he couldn't help but smile. Perhaps this is what his dad told him love was?_

"_Oi, Echizen!" Momoshiro yelled. Ryoma broke out of his daze and saw Momoshiro carrying a tray filled with wrapped hamburgers, fries, and drinks. It also looked like it was about to… fall! Ryoma dashed out of his seat, but he was too late to save both dinner and his clothes. Momoshiro laughed as soda dripped Ryoma's hat, hair, and clothes. "My bad, Echizen. Here, I'll buy you another soda," Momoshiro whispered as a way of apologizing. _

_Ryoma shook his head after taking off his wet cap. "No, I'm fine. Let's eat."_

_Momoshiro grinned. "Prepare to lose, shrimp!"_

"_Made made dane," Ryoma said smoothly, unwrapping the first hamburger._

--

_Time since discovery: 3 weeks, 2 days, 15 hours, 58 minutes (5:10 P.M.)_

Momoshiro walked into the nearly silent room. He glanced at the monitor, unconsciously looking for a sign that Ryoma was awake, but the slow rhythm of Ryoma's heart was the same as it had been for the past week. Momoshiro sighed. He wished that some of the other regulars had stayed behind to talk to him; they had returned to Tokyo with Ryoma's family weeks ago.

Sitting down next to the bed, Momoshiro reached over to brush some stray bangs off Ryoma's pale face. "If you were awake right now, I'd tell you how much I love you," he said calmly. The boy had been taken off the drugs that induced a coma two days ago, but he still had not regained consciousness. The hospital had also decided to keep him on life-support just in case.

Something moved slightly out of the corner of his eye. Momoshiro whipped his head to stare in the direction he saw the movement, but the action was not repeated. He frowned and looked back at Ryoma.

--

_Time since discovery: 3 weeks, 2 days, 22 hours 21 minutes (11:24 P.M.)_

_Beep… Beep…_

The nurse paused in changing the IV bag. She was certain that the patient's heartbeat had just increased, but the pulse remained the same. It must have just been a glitch in the machine… She finished up with her job and quickly left the room.

_Beep…_

_Beep…_

_Beep…_

--

_Time since discovery: 3 weeks, 3 days, 5 hours, 19 minutes (6:31 A.M.)_

Doctor Shou Tucker sighed as he closed the door to his tiny house. He hated being here in Japan, but he was too poor to live anywhere else. Since his wife divorced him and took his daughter Nina, most of his money was sent to them in America.

"Doctor Tucker, may we speak with you?" a deep voice asked.

Tucker spun around to confront the speaker. He was tired of reporters asking him about Echizen Ryoma!

He was surprised to see two men in suits standing near a very nice car. "We have a proposition for you concerning Echizen Ryoma."

The doctor froze and then smiled. _This should be interesting…_ He pulled the key out of the lock and walked over to them.

--

_Time since discovery: 3 weeks, 3 days, 11 hours, 5 minutes (12:17 P.M.)_

The doctor walked into the room calmly. All he had to do was make sure Echizen suffered an 'unfortunate accident' and his daughter would be his again. Of course killing a thirteen-year-old kid made him nauseous, but he would do anything to see his daughter again!

Dropping his pen, Tucker knelt down to pick it up. He also subtly unplugged the ventilator's cord. He heard it slowly come to a stop. In a few minutes, the boy's heart would simply stop; he was still too weak to breathe on his own.

Tucker made a few mandatory notes on his clipboard to throw off suspicion and then left the room.

--

_Time since discovery: 3 weeks, 3 days, 11 hours, 9 minutes (12:21 P.M.)_

Momoshiro sat down next to Ryoma's bed. The spiky-haired teen sighed loudly. He stared at Ryoma's face, hoping to see those hazel eyes open for once.

Ryoma's lips moved slightly, and Momoshiro's heartbeat quickened. Could it be…?

Momoshiro leaned close to Ryoma. His hearing strengthened, but only silence answered his unspoken pleas. _What a second… Something's off! _

Scanning the room, Momoshiro noticed that the ventilator was shut down. He quickly called a nurse. The woman checked the machine and finding the plug out of the socket, replaced it. Ryoma's doctor came in and checked on his patient.

"Is he alright?" Momoshiro asked Doctor Tucker.

The blond man turned and smiled gently. "Echizen's fine. It would seem that he's strong enough to breathe on his own." With that, the man left.

Momoshiro nearly cheered. Ryoma was doing better than ever! "Come on, Ryoma. You're almost there. Come back to us, Echizen Ryoma…"

--

_Time since discovery: 3 weeks, 3 days, 11 hours, 12 minutes (12:24 P.M.)_

_Damn that boy! _Tucker thought angrily. _Why did he have to choose now to get stronger?! _His grip on his pen tightened. _I almost had him! Nina was almost mine again! _The pen snapped sharply, covering Tucker's hand in red ink. He stared at it. _I have to have her back!_

--

_Time since discovery: 3 weeks, 3 days, 22 hours, 31 minutes (11:43 P.M.)_

_Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep._

Ryoma gasped in pain. Everything hurt, but he didn't want to think of why. _I'm…in a hospital? Where's Momo? I could have sworn I heard Momo just a little while ago… _

_Maybe he…_

_Beep. Beep… Beep…_

Ryoma struggled to remain awake, but soon the drugs were dragging him under again.

_Beep…_

_Beep…_

_--_

_Time since discovery: 3 weeks, 4 days, 15 hours, 35 minutes (4:47 P.M.)_

_Beep…_

_Beep…_

_Beep…_

Momoshiro stood frozen in the doorway. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. Doctor Tucker was standing over Ryoma's bed, a syringe in one hand and an IV line in the other. The man had a look of determination in his eyes. The needle neared the IV line, and Momoshiro was sure that it didn't contain medicine.

The teenager dashed forward. He hit the blond man in the lower back, and they toppled forward, hitting Ryoma's bed. The bed fell over, and Ryoma hit the ground with a sickening crack. Various machines hit the linoleum tiles, covering the fighters, patient, and floor with glass. A low drone filled the room; the heart monitor could no longer feel Ryoma's pulse.

Momoshiro ignored the painful cuts on his arms and face as he punched the doctor again and again until the man finally dropped the syringe. "You. Will. Not. Hurt. My. Ryoma!" Momoshiro yelled angrily. He punctuated each word by slamming the doctor's head into the glass-covered floor. He continued yelling at and beating the murderous doctor until nurses and orderlies pulled them apart.

Then Momoshiro heard the dull drone. "My god… Ryoma!" he yelled in horror, fearing the worst. He spotted Ryoma's body lying near the toppled bed. He crawled over to the still teen, ignoring the glass cutting his palms to shreds, and lifted the small body onto his lap. Somehow Ryoma had managed to avoid getting cut by the glass lying around him.

Then Ryoma's eyes slowly fluttered open. They drifted lazily from left to right before settling on Momoshiro. Ryoma still looked half-sleep, and confusion was setting in on his face.

Momoshiro grinned. "Hey there, Echizen," he said calmly. He reached up to brush away some of Ryoma's uncontrollable hair.

Seeing the blood on Momoshiro's hand, Ryoma froze. "Please don't hurt me…" he whimpered. "Please don't hurt me…"

Momoshiro felt his heart crack and shatter.


	4. Retaliation

Disclaimer: I don't own Prince of Tennis, so don't sue me!

Warnings (for this chapter): Mention of NCS, language, violence

Pairings (for this chapter): Oishi + Eiji, Momoshiro + Ryoma, Fuji + Tezuka

Author's notes: This is my first fanfic outside of Gundam Wing, so be kind with reviews. I'm also doing a marathon dash through PoT as well as this story being AU, so characters may be OOC! I've also decided to push the characters' ages up by three years, making the freshmen 16, juniors 17-18, and the seniors 18-19.

I'm also celebrating two things. First, I finished the Prince of Tennis anime (the first series), and I'm starting on the National Championship series. Second is this story being archived in a C2 community. Not quite sure what a C2 community is, but hey, it's an achievement!

I want to thank everyone that's reviewed so far, especially IHaveNoLife. I'll try to answer any questions anyone has, just bear with me.

Chapter 4

Retaliation

"_Game and match, Echizen Ryoma!"_

_Ryoma sighed. Finally the match was over! He walked to the net to shake Edmundson's hand._

_The blond boy glared at him. "You'll regret not letting me win," Edmundson growled, his light grey eyes burning with hate. The pale teen stormed off the court, leaving Ryoma alone._

"_Whatever," Ryoma said nonchalantly, shrugging to add insult to injury despite the fact that his opponent had already left. "Made made dane."_

_--_

_Time since discovery: 1 month, 1 day, 12 hours, 59 minutes (1:11 P.M.)_

Momoshiro glanced over at Ryoma. The small teen sat stiffly on the seat next to him. Ryoma stared at his tiny hands which folded in between his legs, and he looked younger than his age in overlarge jeans and sweater. He also appeared incredibly weak.

One of the cart attendants came up to them. "Can I get you anything to drink?" she asked.

Momoshiro shook his head. "What about you, Ryoma?"

Ryoma looked up. Wary hazel eyes darted between Momoshiro and the attendant. "Do you have Ponta?"

"Of course! Here you are." She handed Momoshiro the can of grape flavored soda, and he gave it to Ryoma. The boy opened it up and began to sip at it.

"How much do I owe you?" Momoshiro asked.

The woman smiled and leaned down. "He looks like he needs it, so consider it on the house, okay?"

Momoshiro grinned slightly. "Thank you." She nodded and continued on to the next seat. Momoshiro turned to Ryoma. The young teen was staring at his drink. "How is it?" When Ryoma didn't answer, Momoshiro reached over to touch his shoulder.

Ryoma jerked back violently, hit the wall, and gasped in pain. Momoshiro froze, then pulled his hand back. The two sat in silence for a few minutes.

"Sorry," Ryoma muttered.

Momoshiro shook his head. "No, it was my fault. I should have made sure you were paying attention…"

Ryoma turned to look out the window, and conversation between the two friends ceased until they reached Tokyo.

--

_Time since discovery: 1 month, 3 days, 15 hours, 10 minutes (3:22 P.M.)_

The room was silent. Nanjiro had let Momoshiro take Ryoma to his house for the day, and in turn, Momoshiro had called the other Seigaku regulars. They had all arrived about the same time.

Ryoma curled tighter into his blanket, away from the others and closer to Momoshiro. The older teen frowned. He understood why Ryoma was shying away, but Momoshiro knew that the reaction was counterproductive to Ryoma's recovery.

"I think I know who ordered attack on you," Inui said. The entire group turned to look at him. The glasses-wearing man closed his notebook and leaned forward. "Ryoma, you said that your last opponent that day was a boy named Kyle Edmundson. I think that is the same Edmundson as the son of Erik Edmundson, CEO of the international Edmundson Medical Corporation. They work in the biological field of medicine.

"The company was recently investigated for suspicious activities concerning its competitors. Apparently several high-ranking executives of the competing companies were attacked in their homes; five of them were killed rather brutally. The Edmundson Medical Corporation is not to be trifled with, and I feel that this is only the beginning…"

Silence reigned. Ryoma wrapped the blanket around him and leaned against Momoshiro. The severity of the situation sank into the group of tennis players, especially Ryoma. If this was the beginning, how bad would it get?

--

_Time since discovery: 1 month, 4 days, 17 hours, 19 minutes (6:31 P.M.)_

"Was your day good, Eiji?"

The redhead looked up from his plate. He nodded cheerfully and returned to his food. He speared a piece of chicken and began to bring it to his mouth.

Both fork and chicken fell to his plate as a sharp pain erupted in his stomach. Mumbling an excuse, he dashed to the bathroom. He then threw up his dinner into the toilet bowl. After his stomach was empty, it continued seizing. Eiji waited until it calmed down then washed his mouth and the toilet seat.

Eiji sat on the toilet seat, his head in his hands. Another spasm wracked his slender body, and he curled instinctively around the pain.

"Eiji? Are you alright?" his mother asked, knocking on the door politely.

"I- I'm alright!" he yelled back. _At least, I hope so…_ "Something in the food must not have agreed with me." He continued to play down the situation until his mother walked away.

--

_Time since discovery: 1 month, 6 days, 16 hours, 31 minutes (4:43 P.M.)_

Inui began walking across the busy street, his nose buried in his worn notebook. He skimmed over the notes he took from Atobe about the Arcanum Corporation. He knew that something was hidden concerning the family heading the company, and he was determined to find it.

A shrill scream rose through the background noise muffling Inui's environment, and he looked up in time to see a rather non-descript car come charging towards him. Through the tinted glass, the data analyst noted a pale man with short, but wavy dark-colored hair.

The notebook fell from his hands as he tried to jump back to the curb.

Pain erupted from his lower abdomen. The car picked him up off the ground and easily threw him twenty feet down the road. People screamed and ran towards him. The hostile driver continued on, disappearing around a corner.

"Call 1-1-9! Don't worry, kid. The ambulance is on the way."

"Did someone see the license plate number of that car?!"

The world began to dim sharply.

"Hey… Hey! You have to stay with-."

--

_Time since discovery: 1 month, 2 weeks, 12 hours, 19 minutes (1:31 P.M.)_

Eiji sighed. Then sighed again.

He just wanted life to go back to normal. Instead, one friend was recovering from a "traumatic incident", and another was in the hospital for a fractured hip and a broken leg. An international corporation was suspected of being the ones responsible. The situation was probably hopeless…

The redhead shifted in his bed, trying to find a comfortable position. He felt hot and cold at the same time. His mother had told him to take the day off when the thermometer showed his temperature to be 101 degrees. She put it off as a mild case of the flu, and sent him to bed to sleep it off.

Eiji rolled over, pulled the covers up over his head, and willed himself to sleep.

--

_Time since discovery: 1 month, 2 weeks, 19 hours, 3 minutes (8:15 P.M.)_

Ryoma stared at himself in the mirror. He couldn't see why anyone would want to spend time with him, especially if an assassin was after him. He brought his wrist to inspect it. His entire arm throbbed at the movement.

It did not look any different…

--

_Time since discovery: 1 month, 2 weeks, 1 day, 7 hours, 27 minutes (8:39 A.M.)_

The bright light blinded Inui as he was wheeled out of the hospital. The nurse handed his wheelchair over to his mother, and the two women helped him into the car. The nurse folded the wheelchair for transportation as Inui's mother talked to the physical therapist and doctor. Soon, the car pulled away from the hospital, and the occupants began the ride home.

The young tennis player looked out the window as the city passed by. His injuries throbbed painfully, but his mind was focused on data. _There's only a 10 chance of another attack on Ryoma or myself, but a 75 chance exists for an attack on someone close to someone near Ryoma. This is an act of retribution… _

--

_Time since discovery: 1 month, 2 weeks, 1 day, 20 hours, 8 minutes (9:20 P.M.)_

_Ring! Ring! Ring!_

Fuji ran down the stairs to answer the phone. "Shuusuke Fuji speaking."

"This is Detective Sakai. Are you related to Yuuta Fuji?" the caller asked.

Fuji felt his blood run cold. "Yes," he said cautiously. "I'm his older brother."

"I'm sorry to tell you this, but can you come down to the station? We have some questions for you concerning your brother's disappearance."


End file.
